A few months ago, I saw a video which offered some compelling flying advice. 

A viral TikTok from an airport-based account claimed that red suitcases are loaded onto planes first, which commenters said was because the brighter colour was easier to spot against the dark background of the plane’s hold. 

That would imply the red suitcases would come out last, leaving their owners waiting around at baggage carousels for longer.

So, I reached out to Anton Radchenko, founder and CEO at AirAdvisor, and Daria Volochniuk, the COO of FlightRefunder, and Georgia Fowkes, a travel advisor for Altezza Travel, about which colour suitcase they’d never use. 

Suitcase colour doesn’t matter for loading times ― but other things do

“What you’re referring to is definitely a myth,” Daria told HuffPost UK. 

She added: “I guess on the psychological level, it can assumed that bright bags would attract the attention of a ramp-loading worker, but in practice, the colour of the bag doesn’t influence the stacking order.”

In fact, sometimes the opposite is true ― “elite-status passengers” can sometimes have colourful tag which would see their luggage leave first, she said.

Anton agrees that the hue of your luggage won’t delay your flight: “Having a brightly-coloured suitcase won’t delay you at baggage claim,” he said.

And Georgia revealed that she regularly travels with a pink or red suitcase, as “aeroplane trunks aren’t organized like crayon boxes” (fair). 

“Baggage handling isn’t random or left to what baggage handlers grab first,” she added.

“The order in which suitcases are loaded onto an aeroplane isn’t determined by the colour of the suitcases but by strict operational and logistical rules.” 

So... what actually does affect when a suitcase is unloaded?

All experts agree that weight is the main (but not only) influence. 

“The most important factor? Weight distribution,” Georgia told me.

“Suitcases are loaded strategically to prevent the aircraft from becoming too heavy at the nose or tail,” meaning “heavy luggage is often placed in the centre to maintain stability during flight.”

Anton added: “Factors like check-in time, seat class, and bag weight can influence where your suitcase ends up.” 

Georgia let me know that time matters too.

“Travellers with tight connections are more likely to have their bags loaded last so they can be unloaded first, helping them catch their next flight on time.”

Lastly, the travel advisor said that luggage containing fragile items like “medical equipment for passengers with disabilities, musical instruments, and other delicate luggage” is usually loaded last to prevent damage.